Often when I look back upon the year that was, I think of the resolutions that I've managed to uphold (and the few that I've broken), and how far I've come in the meantime. The end of the year is a good time to reflect upon the past 12 months and see how we've fared both personally and professionally.

On a personal note, I have seen my appreciation for perfume grow and grow, so to coincide with the holidays, I thought I'd write a round-up of some of the fine fragrance hits and misses over the past 52 weeks. This year was a big year for new launches from established designer houses and some niche ones too.

So let's begin… here is the perfume.org bucketlist of 2010 scents you must try before the onslaught of new perfume releases in 2011!

2010 ANNIVERSARY FRAGRANCES
Vera Wang released Anniversary, a soft floral scent for women to celebrate 20 years in the biz, while John Varvatos created his masculine 10th Anniversary fragrance, an assertive woody/spicy special edition EDT.

BEST BOTTLE DESIGN - HIS AND HERS
This accolade might just go to Thierry Mugler's Womanity perfume, a striking Alien-esque flacon of pewter-coloured metal and glass, containing a cotton-candy pink elixir based around fig, fig tree and caviar.

For the boys, Marc Jacobs Bang, launched in its punchy, crumpled mirrored bottle became an object to be desired. This contemporary EDT is a play on pepper and spices that are resolutely masculine.

QUIRKIEST BOTTLE DESIGN - HIS AND HERS
Davidoff has led the market for years with its much loved fragrance Cool Water, but the 2010 release of Champion in its dumbell-shaped bottle leaves us wondering if brawn was put before brains in the Davidoff marketing department. At least it smells good…

Meanwhile, Givenchy unleashed Play for Her in a stylish mobile-phone inspired flacon, which wouldn't look out of place in any modern girl's handbag.

MOST RELEASES BY A SINGLE PERFUME HOUSE
This year Ralph Lauren launched its Big Pony youth-oriented clothing collection and no less than four new Big Pony scents for men. Each one embracing an individual characteristic of the "Ralph Lauren Man," the gents can choose a scent to compliment his lifestyle. Is he Fresh, Sensual, Rugged or Stylish? This classy quartet brought much color to 2010!

BATTLE OF THE BIG GUNS
In the past 12 months four major designers released new perfumes which left consumers with some heavy decisions to be made. Giorgio Armani launched the stunning scent Acqua di Gioia perfume for women - a delicious summery perfume that evokes sensations of Mediterranean beaches and sipping Mai Tais. Calvin Klein's answer to that was to bring Beauty to the masses … an elegant and sophisticated musky floral that is as timeless as Calvin Klein clothing. Gucci joined the party with its perfume Guilty for women - a fruity floral that is both daring and sexy. Men can expect to see Guilty's aromatic masculine counterpart early in 2011. And speaking of the fellas, Chanel bounced back with its first new (non-flanking) men's fragrance in a number of years. Bleu de Chanel cologne is a woody aromatic scent that is also climbing the popularity ladder, and is proof positive that the major designers are still fighting for supremacy!

NOT-TO-BE-MISSED NICHE RELEASE
They might be trickier to track down, but niche scents are often adored for their uniqueness. This year Comme des Garcons continued to celebrate all things avant garde with Wonderwood,  a unisex fragrance that is an overdose of woods. Pretty much every wood facet you can imagine has gone into this enchanting EDP - one that will bewitch and beguile. It is perfume.org's top niche pic for the year.

As we usher in a brand new year, we should be excited to see new offerings from Dior, Donna Karan, Joop!, Costume National, Estee Lauder, Jimmy Choo, and many, many more.

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Often when I look back upon the year that was, I think of the resolutions that I've managed to uphold (and the few that I've broken), and how far I've come in the meantime. The end of the year is a good time to reflect upon the past 12 months and see how we've fared both personally and professionally.

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If the prospect of vacationing in one of the Mediterranean's far-flung isles is your idea of heaven, then the 2010 Giorgio Armani women's fragrance release Acqua di Gioia is right on the money.

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Check out Taylor Momsen in the ad for John Galliano's newest fragrance, Parlez-Moi d'Amour. Oh, and that is Taylor singing her song "You."

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Rihanna is the next celebrity to jump on the fragrance bandwagon. The pop star is working with Parlux Fragrances to release Reb'l Fleur in February, 2011. The signature perfume, inspired by Rihanna's neck tattoo "rebelle fleur," the fragrance is said to be a balance between the singer's personal and professional sides.

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According to Giorgio Armani's parent company L'Oreal, a bottle of Acqua di Gio cologne is sold somewhere in the world every five seconds! This No.1 best-selling men's fragrance is now a global phenomenon, and there is no wonder why. Acqua di Gio boasts a very complex blend of accords that make up the most versatile and much-loved men's cologne on the planet.

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You might feel a pang of guilt looking at the new Gucci Guilty fragrance ads. Shots of an intertwined Chris Evans and Evan Rachel Wood ooze sex appeal all over the page, er, screen. Gucci launched Guilty for men and women this year, but the ads for the men's fragrance were just released depicting a sultry yet masculine Evans looking steamy with a chest full of hair.

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Next fall's fashion lineup is looking to be wildly influenced by the 70s. Got me thinking about fragrances from the 1970s ... and better yet, some of the commercials that hawked 'em (like Revlon Charlie above). Here's a list.

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In 2011 Versace will launch its newest fragrance, Vanitas. The high-end fragrance, which will combine only the highest quality ingredients, will be fronted by 16-year-old model Lindsey Wixson. Wixson is poised to become the next supermodel, given her lengthy resume that already includes modeling stints for Lanvin, Louis Vuitton and Prada.

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